Chapter 8 Summary

Kneeling before the idol and the decorated corpses that they have brought in, the seven initiates, their foreheads marked, sing the sacred Sataphatha Brahmana,specifying the order of sacrifice: man, horse, bull, ram, and goat. Their eighth colleague's head hangs from Kali's hand, but his body is removed. Muktananandaji feels almost nothing as he wonders what Sanjay had meant: he should have used him. He knows that he will never see Anguda again. Nothing surprises him. Priests simultaneously flash daggers that slice a sliver from each initiate's palm. These are put in their corpses' mouths. Muktananandaji has never seen this done during a village Kali Puja. Blood drips until the mantra is sung and the hands are bandaged. Muktananandaji begs Kali to end the ordeal soon, but she does not.

The Brahman inspects the corpses slowly and selects Muktananandaji's to be placed at...